Friday Snippet: Vicki & Elias

This snippet comes from Chapter Four, where Vicki has a heart-to-heart with Elias. She’s scared, confused, and they’re just trying to figure out what’s going to happen to their relationship now that Jesse is intruding.

Background: the first night, she made Elias sleep on the couch and Jesse slept downstairs.

Her phone rang, making her jump. Elias. Sick at heart, she hit the button. “Please don’t tell me that you can’t make it tonight.”

“What’s wrong, Vik? Is your houseguest starting to scare you?”

He laughed, telling her he wasn’t really serious. “You were right, Elias,” she whispered, fighting back the tears. “You were right, and I’m in trouble.”

“Trouble like you need me to come over and bust his mouth open again?” His voice sharpened, all cop, ringing with intent. “I can be there in twenty minutes. If you’re in danger, then I’ll send the closest squad car to pick him up.”

“No, no, I’m not in danger. He is. I’m scaring myself.”

“Hold on a minute, Vik. Let me find a private room.”

She heard the chatter of the office and finally the door shut, sealing off all noises.

“Okay, spill. What has you so freaked out?”

“He does love me. He told me. Even the birthday card—that he made months ago—says that he loves me.”

“Yeah,” Elias said slowly, drawing the word out. “How’d you react to that earth-shattering news?”

She squeezed her eyes shut and held the phone away from her ear in case he started yelling at her. “I kissed him.”

It took her a minute to realize the muffled sounds coming from his phone weren’t curses, but might actually be laughter. “You are not laughing at me, are you? I kissed him. No, I slammed him up against the wall like you did last night, only instead of splitting his lip open, I damned near bit it off.”

Elias laughed harder. “Did he thank you for it?”

“Yeah, yeah he did. In fact, he begged me to do it again. Why aren’t you pissed?”

“Oh, Vik, I don’t know. It’s not like I have any right to be pissed at you for kissing another man when I haven’t been around in months. Besides, you’re too upset for me to be mad, and he’s not a bad kid. No, he’s a real good-looking kid, a nice tender morsel.” He laughed harder, like one of his buddies had just told him the most hilarious joke he’d ever heard. “Making love to you has always been like wrestling a hungry crocodile. Did you shock the hell out of him?”

Stricken, she blinked back tears. Her chest felt too tight to breathe. “I’m that bad?”

“Aw hell, no, Vicki,” he said, his voice as tender as she’d ever heard him. “You’re the hottest, sexiest, most passionate woman I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. But you’re not a soft, passive woman in bed, far from it. Half the fun is wrestling you for dominance, and the other half is making sure you enjoy the consolation prize as much as I am. Any smarter man would never have left you simmering all these months. It’s as much my fault as yours that you’re so attracted to Jesse.”

“So you’ll come over tonight? Please?”

He let out a wicked, low laugh that made her blood smolder. “Oh, I don’t know, Vik. Your couch isn’t that comfortable. Besides, you’ve got that hot cabana boy to tend to you now. Why do you need me?”

“I won’t make you sleep on the couch tonight. I swear.”

“We’re going to be loud, babe,” he purred, drawing a rough groan from her. “I’m going to make you scream. We’re going to hit every surface of your bedroom, hell, your whole apartment, and your boy’s going to hear every whimper, thud, curse, and shout of release. Are you sure you’re up for that?”

Her nipples were so hard the lace of her bra felt like sandpaper. “Can you come home now?”

Now it was his turn to groan. “I wish I could, but I’ve got a meeting with the Lieutenant in five minutes. I expect we’ll go out on a tip this afternoon, so don’t hold dinner for me.”

“Elias, please, you have to come tonight.”

“I will,” he promised. “It might be late, but as soon as we’re done with the bust, I’ll drive straight to you.” He hesitated, an edge coming to his voice. “You know he’s probably loaded with STDs or worse. God only knows what he’s been exposed to in prison, let alone the streets.”

“I know,” she whispered, lying back on her bed. “I’m taking him to the clinic tomorrow. I already made an appointment.”

“You’re serious, then. Jesus, Vik.”

“I know,” she repeated, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple with her free hand. “What does this mean for us?”

“Hell if I know. I’d say I should simply take the hint and get the hell out of Dodge, but you’re begging me to come over tonight.”

“I’ve missed you,” her voice broke but she refused to bitch and moan about the past. Elias had chosen to bail on her. He’d played both judge and jury and blamed her for everything that had gone wrong, but she couldn’t stop loving him. Even when he’s an uncompromising ass. “I don’t want to lose you all over again.”

“But you want him too.”

Her relationship with Elias had always had a lot of failings, but one thing she’d never done was lie to him. “Yeah, I do.”